Arts & Culture

DEEP in the leafy, rolling landscape of East Clare, lies a noted wellspring of traditional music. In towlands like Glendree, Kilclaren, Caher, Magherabaun and Maghera, a distinctive musical style and repertoire have been handed down with care and love. The village of Feakle has long been a focal point for this transmission of culture, drawing musicians from a wide hinterland stretching to Scariff, Bodyke, Tulla and Kilkishen. Establishments like Lena’s Bar brought together young, emerging musicians with legends such as John Naughton, Martin Rochford, P Joe Hayes, Francie Donnellan, Mikey Donoghue, Paddy Grogan, Joe Bane and Bill Malley.  At the feet of these giants, upcoming generations immersed themselves in the riches of East Clare. Among them was the acclaimed concertina player, Mary MacNamara. She and her brothers and sister sat by Lena’s hearth listening and learning for more than a decade.  This year, after a “labour of love,” and with the support of The Arts Council, Mary realised a life-long …

Something’s brewing, and it’s going to be ghoulishly fun! Cliffs of Moher Experience have a wicked weekend of spooktacular Halloween activities planned for all monsters big and small! The visitor centre will be adorned in Halloween decorations from Saturday October 29 to Monday October 31. Witching hour will begin at 8am until 7pm, with activities running throughout the day. Staff will be telling tales of long ago and spooky stories from the Cliffs of Moher Experience within the visitor centre. Anyone who arrives in Halloween fancy dress will be in with a chance of winning some scarily good spot prizes. On arrival, all children will also receive a Treasure Hunt with clues leading them to five locations on site. Visitors to Ireland’s most popular natural attraction also will be able to enjoy a menu filled with locally sourced produce. The Cliffs View Café and Puffins Nest Café, both located within the visitor centre, will be offering visitors Halloween Muffins, and …

A BEAGH native is getting set to return from the West coast of America to launch his debut album at a homecoming gig in Gort next month.  Vincey Keehan has been living in the US for more than four decades and his debut album, Great Highway, includes 14 tracks evoking memories of Ireland, as well as cherished family and friends.  Now an adopted San Franciscan living in the Sunset District with his wife, Missy, Vincey is a multi-instrumentalist and a veteran of the city’s thriving music scene. After a rapturous reception for the album in the US, Vincey is set for a homecoming in November and an Irish launch for Great Highway.  The new album features Vincey’s family and friends in music and includes ‘The Lovely Woodlands of Clare’. The piece is a moving tribute to his sister Mary whose daughter, Eimear, a talented musician, passed away in a tragic accident in France when she was just 21. Vincey was …

AN EVENING of painting and poetry is in store at the Courthouse, Kinvara, as artist Belinda Duetinger launches a new exhibition on Friday, October 28. The show, entitled ‘Der kleine Laden um die Ecke’ or ‘Little shop around the corner’ will showcase what Belinda described as a snapshot of her art, “dreamy watercolour landscapes, delicate florals, nature in all shapes and forms are featured next to surreal oil and acrylic paintings”. “I always try to see the beauty in things,” said Belinda. “We should never lose sight of what the world has to offer, that amongst all the bad news, rising costs, housing crisis, greed, environmental issues, our own personal struggles, there is so much to live for.” The launch will feature the poetry of Belinda’s husband, Nathy Gillard, a Mayo native, who will do a reading on the night.  Belinda, a Kinvara Area Visual Arts (KAVA) member graduated from GMIT in 2009 with a BA in Fine Art. She …

MOUNTSHANNON Arts will to host a Harp Concert with a difference this Saturday October 22 when Erin Durrett and Christina Tourin join together to present ‘Songs of Hildegard and the Early Saints’ with Blossom Harps and guest harpers from America. Internationally renowned harp educator, Christina Tourin is one of the most accomplished harpists of her generation, delighting audiences with her performances worldwide. Soprano Erin Durrett, who loves music of all times, genres, and cultures, has a special passion for scared chant and is Director of Music Ministries at The Episcopal Church of the Holy Spirit on Vashon Island.  Blossom Harps is directed by Lizzie Affolter who initiated the Blossom Harp Festival in Tuamgraney in 2016. The hugely popular event has since become renamed the Tuamgraney Harp Festival. Hildegard of Bingen was a saint, composer and poet and it’s only recently that her songs, writings and remarkable life and visions have been rediscovered. She was born over 900 years ago and …

FOR the third year in a row Clare Champion photographer John Kelly has won the Local Ireland Media Award for Best Photograph of the Year. It’s a huge achievement for the talented Mullagh man who has for many years been known as one of Ireland’s best press photographers. Speaking about the image that won him the 2022 honour, he said it was taken in Doolin on a wintry evening as he awaited a subject. “The picture was actually taken while I was in Doolin one stormy evening. I was waiting for somebody to turn up to another job. As I was waiting I saw the waves were very big, so I went out and shot the waves and the sunset.” He says that the best photographs are often found by chance. “It’s in the little gaps of doing the ordinary work of the day that you see the extraordinary and those opportunities come along, in my experience.” Ray Ryan of …

TWO Clare projects feature in a new book celebrating the value of our diverse cultural heritage.  Both The X-PO in Kilnaboy and Irish Seed Savers in Scariff are documented among 15 case studies from all around Ireland, as examples of best-practice in sharing and promoting cultural heritage. They feature in the book entitled Other Stories – Cultural Heritage and Society, which was launched at Irish Seed Savers in Capparoe.  The publication was commissioned by the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) Ireland, whose aim is to foster appreciation of cultural heritage on the national and international stage. The Scariff venue is one of five chosen for a special Book Launch Tour.  ICOMOS Ireland commissioned the research and advocacy project in 2018, inspired by The Council of Europe Framework Convention on the Value of Cultural Heritage to Society.  The history of the X-PO, since its foundation by artist Deirdre O’Mahony in 2008, is described in detail in the book. From …

MUSIC from a young Clare Céilí Band, whose members range in age from 16 to 19, has been finding an appreciative audience on the other side of the world. Mitch Park plays a weekly music programme on Radio Kidnapper, one of the most popular online stations in Hawke’s Bay, Hastings, New Zealand. Clare Céili Band leader, Colm Nestor recalled how Mitch went on the website of Custy’s Music Shop in Ennis to source an Irish traditional group and found the band’s first CD. “We listened to music from the band being played in New Zealand online between midnight and 1am on Christmas Day, 2021.” “It went further than we ever thought. Colum King plays the band regularly on Charity Radio, an internet radio in Dublin,” he added. In addition to launching their second CD during Culture Night recently, the band has been featured regularly on Clare FM and Radio na Gaeltachta including a 30-minute slot of their live performance on …